Finding Dr Gurgula’s hideout in High on Life is one of the game’s most exciting mysteries. Accessing it will grant the player an achievement, introduce them to a key villain behind-the-scenes, and set up a sequel all in one stroke.
High on Life is filled with interesting side paths and secrets, but unlocking this hidden ending is a brilliant, must-see Easter-Egg for any fan or achievement hunter. Here’s how to find the secrets within Dr Gurgula’s hideout.
Prerequisites for Discovering the Hideout
To discover the hideout, the bounty hunter must first unlock the Nipulon bounty. This means completing five bounties, allowing Kenny to come clean about his troublesome past, and ensuring Lizzy is brought home safe. The Nipulon bounty does not have to be completed to begin questing for the hideout, though the player can feel free to find it after completing that bounty if they choose to.
Dr Gurgula is teased subtly in audiovisual logs in several of the areas throughout the game. But knowing exactly what he’s up to requires some Bounty 5000 navigation.
How to Get to the Hideout
Once the prerequisites are completed, head to the Portals menu on the Bounty 5000 in the living room. Access Nova Sanctus and head to Clugg’s Office.
Human Haven Keycard Location
At this point in the game, Clugg will be gone, but sitting on the desk is a keycard that’s ripe for the taking. Add it to the inventory, and return through the portal.
Now, access the Unknown Sector on the Bounty 5000. Head to the Human Haven. If it’s the bounty hunter’s first time here, it may be entertaining to interact with a few of the humans to gauge how they’re being treated. The real objective, however, is above.
Maneuver upward using the air vent ledges. They’re staggered just enough to allow a jetpack jump between them. At the top of the room, a locked door reading ‘Haven No Trespassing’ can be opened using the keycard. Accessing this will immediately grant the player with the achievement ‘Sequel Bait’. The achievement is unlocked, but there is still plenty more to see in Dr Gurgula’s hideout.
What to Discover in the Hideout
Full spoilers for this secret are to follow. Head down the first corridor where a spinning fan blocks the path. Use Sweezy to slow the blades. A drop into the next room requires Sweezy again on the blades below. In this room, it becomes readily apparent what Dr Gurgula has been up to.
Several bodies are shown on tables sliced to bits. Clearly, Haven has been used as a place for covert experiments on the humans that have been saved thus far. Head to the next corridor where Clugg can be seen through the window, implicating himself in this madness. Chase him down.
He doesn’t get far, of course. In the next room stands Dr. Gurgula in all of his imposing glory. As he stands before a human body he has been dissecting, he laments that Clugg would be foolish enough to lead the player to him before executing the mayor of Blim City.
For the remainder of this sequence, the bounty hunter is locked in place by one of Gurgula’s beam traps. He applauds the dedication of the player in finding him before revealing that he was responsible for the plague that devastated Gatlus, the Gatlian home planet. His research and dissection of humans is revealed to be an elaborate study of their fascinating brains, which he believes may help him unlock the secrets of the universe.
Gurgula goes to make his escape, but not before revealing that his research was wiped once he noticed someone had invaded his hideout. Once the player is free to move, a door is unlocked just behind the chamber. At the end of the next hallway, Clugg’s sons admit to the player that they did not like their dad much and that they are quite fond of the bounty hunter. They agree to watch over the remaining humans to ensure they’re well cared for now that Dr. Gurgula is gone. In a fourth-wall break, they praise the player for discovering this secret within the game before it is suggested that more may be revealed in a sequel. After this scene, the player is free to leave, though they may be haunted by the information they are parting with.
High on Life is available for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.